One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage

My One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage is a match made in heaven! It’s a delicious one pan meal that combines the tender, cheese filled pasta with savory smokey sausage and wraps it all in a creamy cheesy tomato sauce. One bite and you’ll wonder where it’s been all your life!

*This recipe was originally posted in 2014 and has been updated for 2017.

One Pan Meals have long provided record breaking traffic to the blog. People really fell in love with the One Pan Cheesy Smoked Sausage Pasta and others like my One Pan Caprese Pasta and One Pan Beef Stroganoff (my personal favorite).

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I did make one small change to the recipe this time around (but left both versions in the printable recipe). I had originally used a big can of whole tomatoes that you cut up yourself in the can, but I’ve found that I prefer crushed tomatoes. Using crushed eliminates a step, and they taste just as fresh if you use a good quality brand like San Marzano.

So really it’s not a huge change and you can stick with whatever type of tomatoes you prefer.

To make the One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage, start by cooking up the smoked sausage with some fragrant diced onions and a little garlic. That alone will make your kitchen smell divine and you might want to just start picking them out of the pan and eating them one by one. But refrain! You’re so close because this recipe is incredibly easy.

Once the onions are soft and the sausage is browned, you add in the rest of the ingredients (minus the cheese) – Refrigerated Tortellini (whatever flavor you prefer), a 20 oz can of crushed tomatoes or cut up whole tomatoes (use your kitchen scissors and cut them up right in the can), a cup of chicken broth or water, and salt and pepper. Give it a few quick stirs while you let it come to a boil. Then cover it up and simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Alternatively, you could leave the lid off while it simmers at a higher heat, stirring often, to cook it a little faster.

Once the pasta is tender, you just add in the cheeses. The sauce will seem thin, but will thicken as it sits. Cover to allow the cheese time to melt, then serve hot.

This is one that I will definitely be adding to my monthly meal plan, because my kids LOVED it! You can kick it up a little by adding two cans of Rotel Tomatoes instead of the whole canned tomatoes, too. If not for my picky kiddos, I would have added a couple big handfuls of spinach.

One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage

My Creamy One Pan Tortellini and Smoked Sausage is a match made in heaven! It's a delicious one pan meal that combines the tender, cheese filled pasta with savory smokey sausage and wraps it all in a creamy cheesy tomato sauce. One bite and you'll wonder where it's been all your life!

Instructions

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, until softened; 3-4 minutes. Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook until browned on both sides.

Stir in chicken broth, tortellini, tomatoes, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Turn heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes, or until pasta is tender, stirring at least once to prevent sticking. *There should still be liquid in the pan to make the sauce, but if it seems excessive, you can remove some with a large spoon. (If you want a quicker cooking method, set at medium-low heat, uncovered, stirring often for about 8-10 minutes).

*If there is too much liquid left in the pan, spoon some out. But be sure to leave enough behind to make the sauce.

Remove from heat and stir in cheeses, reserving a handful for sprinkling on top. Cover and let stand for five to ten minutes, or broil for 2-3 minutes to brown. Garnish with fresh parsley, if desired.

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Love my One Pan Creamy Tortellini and Smoked Sausage? You might also like these easy dinner recipes:

Hi! I’m Kristin, the creative mind behind Yellow Bliss Road where you will be inspired by tons of easy to follow recipes, lots of free printables, and a little sprinkling of life thrown in for good measure.

I made some changes based on items in the fridge/freezer I needed to use up, which included frozen tortellini. I didn’t measure but used leftover chopped tomatoes (close to amount needed), probably 2 cups broth, low fat cream cheese, maybe a cup of reduce fat shredded cheese and some leftover Irish bangers and chunks of chicken I’m trying to use up. Very quick, warm and hearty and paired it with roasted zucchinni. I think this would have about 4 good sized servings. I’d double it up if I had four hungry men! Leftovers aren’t the worst thing but I doubt there’ll be any! Very good tomato taste!

I used this recipe as my basis for Sausage and Cheese Tortellini Soup. While sausage and onion were browning I put the chicken broth(app. 4+ cups), the tomatoes(1-small can of diced and (1) can of diced with green chilies in my slow cooker( I have the type that you can brown/saute in, set it on 375 degrees to bring to a boil quickly) and added my frozen tortellini, sausage and onion. I used 8 oz. of cream cheese, taking one cup broth( of the total 4 cups) that I had saved out and heated, adding together and blending well(I used my hand mixer, cause sometimes it’s hard to get the cream cheese to incorporate completely).Add to slow cooker(that has been turned from the 375 degrees to high. Then the shredded cheese (I used what I had which was mozzarella and cheddar, pepper and Italian seasoning(no salt cause the broth has plenty, usually). I like my soups creamy, so I added some cornstarch mixed with cold water to thicken – totally up to your preference. You could add spinach or mushrooms if desired Velvetta could be used instead of the shredded cheeses. A roux could be used instead of the cornstarch.
It was delicious!!!!

P.S. If you are thinking about replacing your slow cooker, I highly recommend the Cuisinart 3-in-1 Multicooker. Well worth the money!

Personally I did not care for this recipe. WAY too much cheese. The sauce basically just tasted like a cheap mac n cheese. I would say if you do want to try it to start out with HALF the amount of cheese listed and then add a little at a time if needed, but I do not know why you would need it. My husband and I love cheese, and this was just too too much.

Haha! Good one Kaelah! I thought this dish was awesome. My husband and I are huge cheese fans, so this was perfect. I thought it was delicious and I’ll be making it again and again. Thanks for the great recipe!

This is so yummy; made it a handful of times now! I have to ask though, where do you find a 20 oz can of diced tomatoes?? I have only found 14.5 or 28! I’ve been able to “make it work”, but just wondering. Thanks! 🙂

Made this tonight and my kids and I give it ‘two thumbs up’! Per your suggestion, I substituted Rotel for the canned whole tomatoes and also added spinach. The Rotel gave it a nice mild spice and the spinach was a great addition. Thank you for this recipe!

My husband and I were spending an extended amount of time in a hotel. While it did provide a full, albeit communal, kitchen they had almost nothing in the way of cookware. I asked for cooking utensils and got tongs, LOL! Anyway, I bought some cheap utensils and made this in the one “large” pan they gave us. It was a tight squeeze, but it all fit! My husband and I were able to eat a “home made” meal instead of fast food, which I was getting absolutely sick of! I just paired it with one of those steam in the bag veggie mixes. Thank you for this wonderful recipe! I can’t wait to use it at home when I have all my spices so I can play with it a little!

Great recipe! I had to make a few changes based upon what I had on hand.

I used 9oz frozen tortellini. I was worried this wouldn’t be enough, but the ratio of sauce to pasta to sausage is perfect! I let this thicken, uncovered, after adding the cheese by allowing it to simmer on low for about ten mins.

I used half mozzarella and half cheddar. Added some basil and garlic. I also only had three sausages – this was quick, easy, and delicious. Thanks!!

This looks SO delicious! I am eager to try it out. However, 3 out of 5 members of my family are allergic to dairy which makes most of the amazingly delicious recipes I find on Pinterest not doable for us. Boo. 🙁

Has anyone had any luck making this sans cheese? Kristin, do you think leaving the cheese out would change the dish up too much?

This is by far one of my favorite recipes – ever! I made it again tonight, for the… 4th time? Because my bf and I enjoy this immensily. It’s hearty, rich and flavorful – a great meal to cook up after a hard day (or any other day, cause it’s just so delicious). Thanks a lot for sharing this! I already have the ingerdients for another pot-ful in the fridge! ^^

Warm, Yummy, Goodness! This soup is now in my favorite soup list! Not sure if I was off with my package of tortellini (1/2 of the Costco package and of course the side without the amount), but I had to add a total of 32 oz. of chicken broth so that we would have soup and not a cheese casserole!

I added two handfuls of spinach and easily could have added two more! Served with salad and baguette bread slices (to soak up the juice!).

Made this on Monday and ….O….M….G!!!! AMAZING!!! I don’t like whole tomatoes so I used 2- 8oz cans of tomato sauce and one small tomato paste. Both by Hunts with the basil, oregano and Italian seasons.
I added a 1/4 cup more broth and dropped the cheese back to 1 1/4 cups. It was outstanding! And even better the next day! It will definitely be going into our monthly rotation! Thanks!!!

I made this tonight and I gotta say………..
I Loved It! I’ll be adding it to my favourites.
I did how swap the turkey for the leftover ham I had, left out cream cheese as I didn’t have any, used a can of diced tomatoes (19 fl oz)-drained it.
I used my frozen tortellini and it all fit in my large stir fry pan and used the lid till the last few min, took it off to let extra liquid evaporate.
It turned out wonderful and soooo yummy!
Thanks to so much for the great recipe.

I made this for dinner tonight and just want to say YUMM! and THANK YOU! Clean up was a cinch, it was delicious and my temperamentally picky 20-month old son even asked for seconds! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!

I never write reviews but I made this and it was better than I thought. I like the creamy texture without adding any milk or cream. I added yellow bell pepper, parsley, mushrooms and mixed in the green onions at the end. I used diced tomatoes. The family loved it!!

I made this tonight! At first when my fiance asked me what I was cooking for dinner and told him I was trying something new, he was skeptical then when he was eating it. He had more then just one plate so did my 2 year old and my very picky 1 year old. Thank you for sharing this delicious meal

This is a nice week night meal! I drained the oil, and deglazed the pain with wine, doubled the meat, drained my stewed tomatoes and added a splash of prego sauce! Came out great! Love one pot wonders ! Thanks so much for the recipe!

I made this last night because I love the idea of using kielbasa in a pasta dish. Whenever you’re using canned tomatoes in a recipe, you should always add sugar to offset the bitter taste that tomatoes often have. In this recipe, I used 1T granulated sugar and of course, salt & pepper are necessary as well. I sauteed two cloves of garlic with the onion. I also omitted 1 cup of the shredded cheese and replaced it with 4 oz. of cream cheese. I also added a cup of peas at the end of the cooking time. They were a great flavor and color addition. Great recipe, I’ll definitely make it again!

Hi Kristin! I made this for dinner a couple weeks ago, substituting lean ground beef for sausage and it was delicious! my husband, toddler, baby and I all gobbled it up! I’ll definitely be making it – and probably other riffs on it – again. Thanks!

I’m making this tonight for the second time! The first was a major hit, my boyfriend and I both loved everything about it. This time though we have to make it using a large sauce pot instead of a pan (our sautee pan got lost while moving). Do you think it will turn out alright still?

I froze leftovers, let thaw at room temp & reheated slowly. I think if it is possible….. could have been better than first time around. Awesome freezer meal! Thanks for great recipe. I use chicken sausages just because that is what I have on hand.

I just HAPPENED to have tortellini and some beef sausage links. I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes and added 1 1/2 cans of water with some chicken base (no chicken broth). OMG, and I cook all the time. This just made the “sports practice night” rotation.

Made this tonight for dinner, before I added the cheeses I thought that it wasn’t going to turn out, but it looks good now! I also don’t have a pan like that (College student on a budget) but with some reworking it turned out fine although it did turn into a two pan meal 😉

I made this tonight for my husband and me. Followed it exactly. We loved it! Both of us went back for seconds. So glad we have enough for a second night. I will be sending this on to my daughter. I will be making this again for company that will be coming in a few months. They will love it! Thank you!

A little late, but whatevs. I made this last night, and OMG, it was great. I was kinda nervous about how it would turn out, especially when i found out we would be having a guest over. My boyfriend and him BOTH went up for seconds. I skipped out on the cream cheese, I put it in there and nothing was happening. I just took it out, and it was still amazing. Another thing I did was just diced tomatoes. I just don’t trust the scissors my boyfriend has had for the last, who knows, how many years. I will definitely will be making this again and I’m even telling my friends how amazing it was! 🙂 Thank you!

I entered the ingredients into sparkpeople and came up with the following.
This is for the whole pan, so you’ll have to divide it by the number of servings you portioned it into.
Calories: 3,305
Total Fat: 146g
Saturated Fat: 62.5g
Cholesterol: 692mg
Sodium: 7,453mg
Potassium: 902mg
Total Carbohydrate: 316g
Dietary Fiber: 22g
Sugars: 24g
Protein: 196g

This has got to be one of our favorite dinner recipes! It was such a hit; fed about 6 people and everyone was raving about how delicious it was the entire time. I switched out the diced tomato for 20 ounces of Ragu and a can of tomato paste. So, so easy and delicious. 🙂

I was trying to come up with a delish dinner, I took this recipe and used it as a base. I made mine with roasted red pepper soup, kielbasa, and mini cheese filled tortellini. Wow. You were right, I don’t know how I lived without it! Thanks the inspiration! (I didn’t add tomatoes but medium salsa instead)

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